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xaq_the_aereonWell for starters, it's clear to me that if you plug away at this game on Easy Mode, you can clear it in just a couple of days! XP
Seriously, though, this game was well worth the wait. I mentioned how excellent the graphics and controls are last time, but one thing I failed to mention was the absolutely exquisite soundtrack. Well worth the $10 Steam purchase I went to make in the middle of typing this sentence.
Of course, none of this matters if the game isn't capable of keeping your interest with the story and characters. In that regard, though, the game delivers in spades. The plot starts out as a tale of sacrifice and revenge, but it, like the main character Lunais, grows so far beyond that by game's end.
One thing I certainly wasn't expecting from a Metroidvania was a compelling support cast, but again, Timespinner delivered. A short ways into the game you meet up with a platoon of soldiers with whom you share a common enemy. Their base becomes your hub for the majority of the game, with them serving as a source for items and equipment, as well as various quests you can perform. Doing these not only nets you nice rewards, but also gives you more insight into them as characters.
This in turn gives the game something some people love, others hate, and some are indifferent to: a healthy, possibly excessive dose of LGBT+ content. Apparently in the world of Timespinner, polyamory and homosexuality are accepted to the point of normality. Transgenderism is also a known thing, though apparently not as openly accepted; one character comes out to Lunais as transgender at one point in the game, trusting her as a friend enough to keep that secret.
By game's end, a number of relationships blossomed amid the group, and I honestly found myself growing rather fond of them.
Which, for reasons I will not delve into, made the ending a bit of a heartbreaker.
So yeah, this game hits all the right buttons. Looks fantastic, sounds fantastic, has characters you really get into, and a story that kept me hooked all the way to the end credits...which, by the way, give the Kickstarter supporters their due recognition. Kudos to the devs on that, and major kudos to everyone whose name appears on that tower of names (seriously, there were a lot of them!) and helped bring this masterpiece to light.
For now, though? Time to dive into a New Game +, take it OFF Easy Mode, and see whether my Lv 60 self can hand this game its ass again, or if it will return the favor...and, more importantly, if I'll get to give one particular villain I fought their comeuppance.
OH. One other thing I forgot last time: Easy Mode, or Dream Mode as it's called, is exactly that. For all my fretting and stressing during my playthrough, it lacks one thing every other mode has: the ability to lose. If your HP hits 0, you simply get right back up. (I mostly stressed because I didn't want to have to make use of this...and, in a good sign for my Normal Mode playthrough, I didn't!) Playing on this mode prohibits you from getting a lot of the achievements, but if all you want to do is experience the game in all its glory, there is nothing stopping you from doing just that.
tl;dr BUY THIS GAME (and the soundtrack) ALREADY. IT'S AWESOME.
Seriously, though, this game was well worth the wait. I mentioned how excellent the graphics and controls are last time, but one thing I failed to mention was the absolutely exquisite soundtrack. Well worth the $10 Steam purchase I went to make in the middle of typing this sentence.
Of course, none of this matters if the game isn't capable of keeping your interest with the story and characters. In that regard, though, the game delivers in spades. The plot starts out as a tale of sacrifice and revenge, but it, like the main character Lunais, grows so far beyond that by game's end.
One thing I certainly wasn't expecting from a Metroidvania was a compelling support cast, but again, Timespinner delivered. A short ways into the game you meet up with a platoon of soldiers with whom you share a common enemy. Their base becomes your hub for the majority of the game, with them serving as a source for items and equipment, as well as various quests you can perform. Doing these not only nets you nice rewards, but also gives you more insight into them as characters.
This in turn gives the game something some people love, others hate, and some are indifferent to: a healthy, possibly excessive dose of LGBT+ content. Apparently in the world of Timespinner, polyamory and homosexuality are accepted to the point of normality. Transgenderism is also a known thing, though apparently not as openly accepted; one character comes out to Lunais as transgender at one point in the game, trusting her as a friend enough to keep that secret.
By game's end, a number of relationships blossomed amid the group, and I honestly found myself growing rather fond of them.
Which, for reasons I will not delve into, made the ending a bit of a heartbreaker.
So yeah, this game hits all the right buttons. Looks fantastic, sounds fantastic, has characters you really get into, and a story that kept me hooked all the way to the end credits...which, by the way, give the Kickstarter supporters their due recognition. Kudos to the devs on that, and major kudos to everyone whose name appears on that tower of names (seriously, there were a lot of them!) and helped bring this masterpiece to light.
For now, though? Time to dive into a New Game +, take it OFF Easy Mode, and see whether my Lv 60 self can hand this game its ass again, or if it will return the favor...and, more importantly, if I'll get to give one particular villain I fought their comeuppance.
OH. One other thing I forgot last time: Easy Mode, or Dream Mode as it's called, is exactly that. For all my fretting and stressing during my playthrough, it lacks one thing every other mode has: the ability to lose. If your HP hits 0, you simply get right back up. (I mostly stressed because I didn't want to have to make use of this...and, in a good sign for my Normal Mode playthrough, I didn't!) Playing on this mode prohibits you from getting a lot of the achievements, but if all you want to do is experience the game in all its glory, there is nothing stopping you from doing just that.
tl;dr BUY THIS GAME (and the soundtrack) ALREADY. IT'S AWESOME.